Does anyone out there know when the very first dive was done in Chapel-le-Dale's Hurtle Pot?

The earliest recorded exploration I can find was by Burnley Caving Club members in September 1974 (in CDG Newsletter 34 page 13) but I have a nagging feeling it may have been investigated by CDG members in the 1960s, or maybe even earlier. I'm sure I've read something about this a while ago.

(A significant wave of exploration took place in 1976, by Rob Shackleton of the YSS - but that wasn't the first.)

If anyone can point me at a reference to a dive earlier than 1974 I'd be really grateful.
(It's quite urgent; I'm trying to sort this one for someone else and their a copy date is looming.)

Thanks.


(Mods - I'd be grateful if you'd not transfer this topic to the "Diving" section. I've posted it here because it's very much a question for Dales cavers.)

From the Last Adventure:



Might be worth asking Jonny if he has a reference - but considering he wrote that 32 years ago, he may not remember! Did John Buxton leave any logs?

B

Small amount of information on John Buxton and Oliver Well's 1950s dives in this interview:

http://caving-library.org.uk/audio/playback-110.html

Brilliant - I think that sorts me out.

Thanks for your help.

There was a reference to Hurtle Pot in a Wessex journal of my Dad's dating from the early 1950s. I can't remember if diving was involved. Unfortunately, he chucked them all out, so i can't track it down.

They are all online & fully indexed (vols 2 to 10 cover the 1950s):
https://wessex-cave-club.org/about-us/journals/journal-indexes/

I misremembered the date - it was 1958-9. There's an article to diving in Hurtle Pot - Volume 5: 59,62

Sorry that should have said 50s (Vol 2-5) & 60s (Vol 6-10)

Really useful information; thanks!

mikem said:

They are all online & fully indexed (vols 2 to 10 cover the 1950s):
https://wessex-cave-club.org/about-us/journals/journal-indexes/

Click to expand...

Just as lockdown is easing!  :

Would love to see the kit on that dive 

At the risk of going off topic, there are many full sets of caving club publications available on the net.  Perhaps some keen person would like to compile a set.  The latest I have discovered is the Westminster Speleological Group at:

https://www.wsg.org.uk/online/nl/find.php

a complete set going back to 1950.

Page 128 of the Wookey book (http://www.sump4.com/wookeybook) recalls that Buxton and Wells dived Hurtle Pot on 20th April 1957, following "a route that Jack Thompson had found earlier when swimming with an aqualung".